Luke 6:22-23, 26

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Introduction:

-Let me invite you to turn back to Luke 6.

We’ve come now to the:

Final Beatitude ,

Final Warning...

…that’s recorded in Luke’s account.

And both of these are:

VERY timely

VERY necessary...

…reminders for Christians living in the Western World today.

-This is perhaps the first time in our own nation...

…where these words are proving true on a national level.

(They have always been realized on an individual level...

…but now we are beginning to see it on a societal level)

-And frankly, it is our own fault...

…if this day has overtaken us like a thief in the night...

Because, as I hope you’ll see this morning...

…our Lord has given us ample and abundant warning.

He told us many times over...

…that what we’re only now beginning to experience...

…would, in fact, be:

“The NORMAL Christian Life”

-Let’s read our text together.

Luke 6:22–26 (ESV)

22 “Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man!

23 Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.

- Skip down to verse 26

26 “Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.

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Pray

(4 minutes)

Verse 22:

-It is often said that...

“If Christians would only live like Jesus:”

The World would like us… love us!

Unbelievers would be drawn to Jesus, through us.

That would usher in an age of peace on earth.

Have you all heard such sentiments before?

They sound good on the surface...

But when we examine God’s word closely, we find:

that they simply aren’t true.

that we’re told to expect the very opposite.

Jesus said this:

Matthew 10:34–36 (ESV)

34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.

35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.

36 And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household.

Verse 22 (Our final stop on the road to blessedness)...

…begins to explain for us what it is, that could cause:

A man’s own father

A woman’s own mother...

…to raise up a sword against them!

Look at it with me again.

Luke 6:22 (ESV)

22 “Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man!

Now, there’s a LOT being said in this verse.

-First, and of upmost importance...

…is that we recognize the CAUSE of this “Blessed” persecution.

But, Let me be very clear, here:

Proverbs 18:6–7 (ESV)

6 A fool’s lips walk into a fight, and his mouth invites a beating.

7 A fool’s mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul.

1 Peter 2:20 (ESV)

20 For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure?...

The point is that you aren’t “blessed” simply because:

People hate you

People exclude you

People revile you

They spurn your name as evil...

If you’re acting like a “fool” (biblically-speaking)...

…then you’re just getting what you have coming to you.

If you’re:

mistreating people

being harsh and severe

being deceitful

arrogant and condescending

self-centered and uncaring...

If you aren’t:

Treating people the way Christ commands you to treat them

Treating people the way you would want them to treat you...

Then you’re NOT experiencing this “blessed” persecution...

…you’re suffering JUSTLY as an evil-doer!

and the same is true for me.

-Jesus heavily qualifies the nature of this “blessed” persecution in our text.

He says that it is persecution that comes:

Luke 6:22 (ESV)

22 ...on account of the Son of Man!

In Matthew’s account he adds:

Matthew 5:10 (ESV)

10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,...

and also:

Matthew 5:11 (ESV)

11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely ....

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Brethren, there is no inherent virtue in suffering.

What was true of:

Hunger

Poverty

Mourning...

…is also true of suffering.

You could LITERALLY suffer to death...

…and still wake up in the eternal torments of hell.

The path to blessedness is for those who suffer specifically for two things ONLY:

1.) Then Name of Christ

2.) The Will of Christ.

In other words:

Standing for the truth of who He is!

Standing for His:

Commandments

moral standards

Peter encapsulates this whole concept in:

1 Peter 3:14–18 (ESV)

14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled,

15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,

16 having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.

17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.

-And brethren, this unjustified persecution...

…is more the rule, than it is the exception.

Our Lord has made this abundantly clear.

He told the Twelve:

Matthew 10:16–39 (ESV)

16 “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.

17 Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues,

18 and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles.

21 Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death,

22 and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

24 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.

25 It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household.

26 “So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.

27 What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.

28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.

35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.

36 And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household.

37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

This is what we signed up for.

This is the “Normal Christian Life”

Paul said:

2 Timothy 3:12 (ESV)

12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,

-Now, we need to ask an important question, here.

Why?

Why would people hate a God who is:

Entirely righteous

Wholly good?

And why would they equally despise the servants of this good God?

Because they’re NOT! (good)

Jesus said:

John 7:7 (ESV)

7 The world . . . hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil.

In John 3 he said this:

John 3:19–21 (ESV)

19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.

20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.

21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

This is why they despise the light of God’s goodness.

And this is why they hate those who:

Stand with Him

Stand for the “goodness” that He commands!

John 15:18–25 (ESV)

18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.

19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

20 Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.

21 But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.

22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.

23 Whoever hates me hates my Father also.

24 If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father.

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-Do you ever wonder why our post-modern society:

Hates US...

But not Muslims?

But not Eastern Religions?

They claim to DESPISE US because we are “intolerant bigots.”

Because (they say):

We oppress women...

by holding to biblical standards for the family

We are filled with hate and bigotry because...

we oppose homosexuality

we affirm the biblical definition of marriage

we affirm the biblical teaching on gender and sexuality.

We are a malignancy upon social progress...

because we hold to the “archaic” notion of...

moral absolutes

objective truth.

But few, if any, rage against Islam for purporting many of these same ideas.

Few, if any, seek to discredit other world-religions for seemingly doing these same things.

Why not?

-Because at the end of the day...

...these other religions are not a threat...

-Because at the end of the day...

…they’re playing for the same team!

Jesus said:

John 17:14 (ESV)

14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

-But brethren, this should NOT cause us to despair.

Rather, when we consider it in the proper light...

…it ought to bring us JOY!

Look at our text again:

Luke 6:22–23 (ESV)

22 “Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man!

23 Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy...

Why would He say that?

How could we possibly do that?

-It’s all about having the proper perspective.

First, He says:

Luke 6:23 (ESV)

23 Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven...

This is the only appropriate perspective to have...

…regarding the Normal Christian Life:

Romans 8:18 (ESV)

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

Hebrews 11:23–26 (ESV)

24 By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter,

25 choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.

26 He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.

Paul spells it out in:

2 Timothy 2:11–12 (ESV)

11...If we have died with him, we will also live with him;

12 if we endure, we will also reign with him...

Is that cause for rejoicing?

-Now, look at the second thing He says:

Luke 6:23 (ESV)

23 Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy . . . for so their fathers did to the prophets.

-How is that a comfort?

Well, we need to understand...

...(and I think if you’ve ever experienced it, you will)...

…that our natural tendency is to view our rejection by men...

…as an indicator of our failure in:

Ministry

Evangelism

Christian living in general.

But, Jesus points us to the example of the O.T. Prophets...

…who (to varying degrees) bravely and courageously ...

…spoke and served on his behalf.

How were these messengers of God received?

Typically, like this:

2 Chronicles 36:15–16 (ESV)

15 The Lord, the God of their fathers, sent persistently to them by his messengers, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place.

16 But they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising his words and scoffing at his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord rose against his people, until there was no remedy.

Stephen characterized their responses like this:

Acts 7:52 (ESV)

52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered,

-Brethren, this is why we ought to...

...take the warning in verse 26 so seriously:

Luke 6:26 (ESV)

26 “Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.

What’s He talking about here?

He’s talking about Prophets and preachers...

…who tickle the ear!

He’s taking about those who profess to speak on behalf of Christ...

…but just tell you what they think you want to hear!

Men (or women) like these...

…are NEVER viewed positively in the Bible.

They are portrayed as:

Cowards...

Compromisers...

Greedy, swindlers...

And the people whose ears they scratch...

…are always presented as complicit in their evil!

Isaiah 30:9–11 (ESV)

9 For they are a rebellious people, lying children, children unwilling to hear the instruction of the Lord;

10 who say to the seers, “Do not see,” and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us what is right; speak to us smooth things, prophesy illusions,

11 leave the way, turn aside from the path, let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel.”

Does that sound familiar?

It’s still the way to gain popularity!

It’s still the way to make lost people like you.

Nothing new under the Sun.

But we are commanded to:

2 Timothy 4:2–4 (ESV)

2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.

3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,

4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

These myths fail to:

Convict the world of sin

Show them their need of a Savior

Instruct them in the ways of righteousness.

But... these myths WILL make them befriend you.

But, we are repeatedly warned:

James 4:4 (ESV)

4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

Jesus said:

Luke 6:26 (ESV)

26 “Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.

-I think Peter summarizes the whole matter best:

1 Peter 4:12–19 (ESV)

12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.

13 But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.

14 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.

15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler.

16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.

17 For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?

18 And “If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”

19 Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.

Brethren, I know that these are hard sayings.

Oftentimes, such hard truths cause men to turn away.

But please, let Peter’s words in John 6 dissuade you from such a notion

John 6:60–61 (ESV)

60 When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?”

61 But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, “Do you take offense at this?

John 6:66–69 (ESV)

66 After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.

67 So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?”

68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life,

69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”

Please Don’t look to the World, this morning.

Please don’t look to what you might lose in this short life.

Look to Him!

Look to the Holy One of God

Look to the One who has the words of eternal Life!

Look to Him in Faith

Trust in Him to be your righteousness

Trust in HIS dying for YOUR sins

Trust in HIS obedience to fulfill YOUR obligation to the Law

Believe in these “words of life”. . . .

Then live the rest of your days:

Seeking Him

Serving HIM

And entrusting your soul to a faithful creator, while doing good.

Pray